The End of the Clans
by whitewind04578
Summary: When an overabundance of animals, humans or even bacteria grow in one place, it upsets the balance of nature. The clans have brought destruction upon the forest.
1. Pilot

The wind howled across the moor, stirring ice crystals into motion. It flew into the woods, streaming around the trees, rattling the leafless limbs.

But tucked safely inside a hollow oak tree trunk, was a graying, old she-cat, curled gently around two kits. She listened to the wind, and shook her old head, joints stiff with the cold. "There 'asn't been a storm so strong since Finchstar's time," she said, her voice clear, but weary.

The two kits perked up, clearly recognizing the start of a story.

"Finchstar?" the brown and white tabby she-kit asked, her green eyes wide with excitement. The other kit, a tom, not to be outdone, bounced closer, his white tiptoes contrasting with the deep chocolate of all his other fur. Amber and green eyes gleamed up at the elder's own faded blue ones.

"Alright, alright," she croaked out a laugh, smiling down at the two. "Curl in, and I'll tell you the tale of Flowerstar, Ripplestar, Wrenstar and Finchstar, my mate."


	2. Introduction

**Thunderclan**

The tale starts on an early leaf-bare day, the wind blew crisply across the Thunderclan camp, stirring the piles of heaped leaves, urging the tiny gray kit to pounce on one.

He restrained himself, choosing instead to drop into a rough crouch, his tail-tip lashing furiously.

 _Concentrate, concentrate,_ he thought, placing a paw down slowly.

"Ha, so the runt is trying to hunt, right?"

 _Oh, no. Lionkit, Featherkit and Dovekit._ He internally winced.

"Heehee, as if." the cruel voice of Featherkit, entered the conversation. "Runt can't, and will never hunt. With those tiny paws of his, he'll just fall into a pile of leaves and never get out!" she and her identical sister, Dovekit, shared a high pitched laugh.

The grey tomkit jerked his head up, sitting onto his haunches, an angry look entering his expressive blue eyes. "I will too, hunt!" he spat, glaring.

"Riiight. When hedgehogs soar, _runt_. You probably won't even make apprentice! Starclan, probably not even to your six moon mark! Heh, Thunderclan doesn't want you, runt." Lionkit said, baring his teeth in a twisted grin.

"Yeah, _Flowerkit_." Dovekit taunted, flicking her fluffy grey tail with a sharp motion.

Flowerkit scowled. "Just because I'm small, doesn't mean I'll die off in the first frost," he growled, his own tail lashing. His voice cracked. He hated that, his own weak, pathetic voice wasn't even strong enough to speak. He closed his eyes, regrouping. Dovekit and Featherkit laughed together, heads thrown back. "Like a flower?" The rhetorical question was in unison, the identical she-kits still giggling over the joke.

Lionkit smirked, his shaggy golden coat ruffled, and his reddish-amber eyes narrowing. He took a menacing step forward, his claws unsheathing, scraping against the packed dirt of the camp. "You better watch out, runt-"

"Back off." the tone was polite, cool, and formal. A new voice entered the fray.

A black shekit with sleek fur, and cool green eyes stepped in front of Flowerkit, staring almost impassively into Lionkit's eyes.

His own widened, and the smirk dropped. "What? We were just playing!" She sighed, closing her eyes, then opening them again. "Drop the act, Lionkit. Take your sisters, and move along." her voice was strong. Flowerkit's eyes widened. She was so strong. So sure of herself.

 _So not weak._

Lionkit growled. "Fine. But watch your back, runt. I'll mes you up, and when I do, _she_ won't be here to save you." he spat, then turned on a paw, and stalked off, Dovekit and Featherkit following. She glanced down at him, a kind smile directed at . . . him.

"The name is Hollykit. Call me Holly."

 _ **Shadowclan**_

"Shadowclan, ATTACK!"

Paws pounded on the ground, eyes narrowed in preparation for the final battle, tails lashed in fury. Four kits hurled themselves through the air at the unsuspecting elders, peacefully dozing in the weak sunshine. "Echokit, take the left, Stonekit, the right. Mosskit, you're with me!" the leader, a brown and white tabby she-kit, called to her teammates, paws working overtime to keep up with the much longer legs of her companion,

"But Wrenkit!" The silvery tomkit named Echokit slowed to a stop, the rest of the gang gathering around. Wrenkit stumbled to a stop, cursing under her breath as she righted herself. Joining the circle of four friends, she gazing around.

"What have you called this emergency meeting for?" she asked formally, standing straight and tall as she could. Echokit dropped his gaze, a slight blush spreading under his fur. Wrenkit sighed silently. _This again._ "Echo, speak up, or be left behind," the dark grey tom named Stonekit shifted his large paws impatiently, even darker amber eyes narrowed at Echokit. The blue-eyed tom cleared his throat. "Well, uh, you always take Mosskit with you on the main raids!" he burst out.

Wrenkit felt herself go a little red. To be honest, the dappled brown and gold tom with the piercing green eyes was breath-takingly handsome, and Wrenkit had more than a little crush on him. "Oh. Uh. Right. Stonekit, you and I are on the main, Echo to the left, Mosskit, you're-" she had the strong urge to say 'with me', but felt Echokit's blue eyes burning into her. "On the right," she finished, shooting Echokit an almost triumphant look, before turning back to the targets before them.

"Shadowclan, charge!" she commanded, paws once again flying over the earth.

Ten tail-lengths, five, four, three, two, one- leap! She soared through the air, aiming for the flank of a black and sliver tom, who had his head laying on his paws, clearly snoring.

She narrowed her eyes, twisting her body into an attack stance midair. "Frontal paw strike!" she yelled, swinging said paw down in an arc- and abruptly she on hitting the ground, back first, paws flailing helplessly in the air. Gasping for breath, she scrambled to her paws, confronting the tom. "Aww, mouse dung!" she spat, though her eyes weren't angry. "You saw me coming from a mile away, didn't you."

"Of course I did." he blinked open blind blue eyes, and grinned. "Haven't I improved at _all?_ " she asked, pacing in front of the elder. He sighed. "A tiny amount. Your agility has increased by a just a bare hint, and your speed is getting slightly better."

She seemed to deflate. "Oh."

The others padded over, dusty and ruffled. The two elders Echokit and Mosskit had attacked deflected them as easily as the tom had to Wrenkit. "Come on, Silvereyes, what can I do to get better?" she wailed, "I'm already doing all of the exercises you laid out lass moon, but they're all really easy now!"

Stonekit sighed. "Really, Wrenkit. You don't need to be apprenticed to the leader to be a leader, you know." Pacing, the tabby she-kit shook her head, growling. "Don't you know?" the three shared a glance. "The apprentice of the current leader is practically a shoo-in for the next spot." she stopped, her eyes suddenly shining. "I'll just have to work harder to achieve my dream! I'll work, and work, and work, and sweat and fight, and claw my way to the top, if I have to, Starclan, this I swear!"

 _Windclan_

"Finchstar, Finchstar, Finchstar!" the crowds cheered his name, he basked in the glory. "Oh, yes. I'll take your hunting grounds, thank you for the offer." he told the leader of Thunderclan. "Finchstar, Finch-" He woke to paws shaking him. "Finchkit!" his sister demanded, her voice impatient. "Starclan! You are the heaviest sleeper I've ever had the displeasure of waking up." her tone was scathing as she glanced over her tortoiseshell shoulder, green eyes narrowed. "Father has called us to his den. Mother is waiting for us there as well."

"O-oh. I'll be there in a second." Finchkit climbed to his paws, shaking off the dredges of the dream, and the moss clinging to his spiky white fur. "You'd better," she snorted in reply and bounded from the gorse nursery, her tail-tip disappearing from sight. He paused, thinking back to the dream. "Finchstar," he murmured. "I like the sound of that."

Padding outside onto the cool moor grass, he shivered as a cool wind swept over him. This was Windclan, this was his home. He scraped his claws over the grass, and grinned in satisfaction before stretching. "Hey, Finchkit." The white tom nearly fell over, his heart rate speeding up considerably from shock.

"O-oh, hi, Emberkit." The light orange tabby smiled at him, her silvery-blue eyes gleaming in the light of mid-day. "What are you up to?" she asked, glancing at him. "Rabbitkit, Warrenkit, Pouncekit and I were going to play Rabbit Attack, if we could get someone else to play." He grimaced, sighing. "Off to see Father. Speaking of which," the tall, dark-furred tom that was Finchkit's father had appeared in the mouth of the rabbit warren that was the leader's den. Emberkit followed his gaze. "Aoh. Better get going, Finchkit."

He bounded onto his paws. "Skykit is sleeping in the nursery, if you want another player," he informed her, then raced off across the clearing, arriving moments later at his Father's den. Imposing amber eyes burned from his father's black furred face. "You're late." his voice rang with power, deep and heavy. "Inside." Slipping into the den, and ad avoiding Dappledkit's wide-eyed look, he sat down to the left of Mother, paws tucked in, tail curled neatly around his paws. His gaze was drawn to Mother's muzzle, scratches marring her beautiful face. Blood trickled silently from the weeping wounds, and the brown and white dappled she-cat sat with her head bowed, a posture of defeat.

Father entered slightly after Finchkit, his pawsteps silent as he sat down in front of Mother, Dappledkit and him. "As you both are most likely aware, two moons from now is going to be your sixth moon."

 _Straight to business,_ Finchkit thought, hatred bubbling inside of his stomach. Dappledkitbit her lip, her own green eyes meeting his. She shook her head. Finchkit cursed mentally. She always seemed to know what he was thinking.

"I'm sure you've both considered the positions in life that you will be occupying?" e arched one dark brow, his amber gaze searching each of their faces. "You will both be strong warriors, and fight for the clan." he said firmly, not even having a pretense of letting them choose for themselves.

Dappledkit cleared her throat. "Yes, Father. About that. I have decided that I am going to become a medicine cat." No one was prepared for the attack that followed her words. Father slashed his claws across Dappledkit's shoulder, raking deep wounds. She let out a yowl that was immediately sucked back into her throat, chest heaving in pain. "No," he hissed, sheathing his claws. " _You_ will be a warrior. _You_ will do as I say, _you_ will not being going anywhere _near_ a medicine cat den." I sucked in a horrified breath, my own chest heaving alongside my sister's. Mother had made no move, and her green eyes were wide, and unseeing.

"And you, my son." pain flared through my cheek, and my eyes widened, tears welled as blood mingled with the salty water. "Will you disobey your father as well?" His voice was deadly quiet.

I tried to regain my own. "No . . . Father," I choked out, keeping my gaze on the floor.

"Good son," he purred.

Riverclan

"Hey!" Brookkit ran, faster than she'd ever run before. Paws pounding, she scrambled through the reeds, breath coming in shallow pants. Her gingery-brown fur was mussed and ruffled, and her blue eyes were wide. "Get back here, thief!" The words struck a discontent pang in her stomach, and her heart. She slowed to a stop, turning to face her followers. "Reedkit, Bubblekit, let's not play this anymore!" she called, seeing the two other kits bounding up. The light grey tom, Bubblekit, gave her a puzzled glanced. "Why?" The other ginger tom gave a silent nod of understanding. Brookkit gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Just 'cause." Bubblekit rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's just go back to camp."

The three shared a glance. "Uh," said Brookkit in a small voice. "Which way is it?" Bubblekit gulped. "We'll find it," he said, nodding, and trying to look convinced. "Ah ha! Found you little villains!" A dark ginger tom parted the reeds with one huge paw, glaring down at them with icy blue eyes. "Pikefang!" they all-, well, Bubblekit and Brookkit- squealed, eyes widening. "We are so dead." Bubblekit whispered in the ear of the gingery-brown she-kit.

She gulped in agreement.

 _ **There you have it. The first chapter of The End of the Clans. Hope you all enjoyed. Review, please. We writers run off of them.**_


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